In a judgement delivered on 8 May 2026, in a case filed by a member of the academic staff of the University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka, the Supreme Court demonstrated the continuing evolution of the Court’s approach towards workplace dignity, institutional accountability, and protection from gender-based harassment. Collectively, these decisions establish an emerging legal framework in Sri Lanka that links workplace harassment to constitutional guarantees, principles of natural justice, and the broader obligation of employers and public institutions to ensure safe and equitable working environments. They also reflect the increasing influence of international labour standards and human rights principles in Sri Lankan judicial reasoning, signalling that freedom from workplace harassment is no longer merely a matter of internal policy, but an enforceable legal and constitutional entitlement.

Shyamali Ranaraja examines this emerging framework, and identifies legislative and procedural reforms that would be required in the public sector and the private sector to give effect to both Convention 190 as well as the recent judicial pronouncements.

The discussion will be moderated by Dr Wijaya Jayatilaka, former Professor in Sociology attached to the Department of Agricultural Extension, University of Peradeniya and presently a member of the Board of Directors of ICES. Shyamali Ranaraja is an Attorney-at-law with over 30 years' experience as a practitioner, focusing on labour and employment law, human resources management, gender and equality, and migration for employment. As a Consultant to Sri Lankan and international agencies on research related to the world of work, she has had her research published both nationally and internationally. She is currently a visiting lecturer at the Department of Law at the University of Peradeniya.

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